NASCAR TV Ratings 2026: What the Numbers Reveal About the New Chase Format

November 13, 2026 · Yahoo Sports

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

NASCAR’s 2026 Cup Series season ended with a decline in television viewership, raising questions about whether the sport’s latest championship changes have done enough to attract more fans.

According to figures shared by sports business reporter Adam Stern, NASCAR averaged 2.419 million viewers per race this season, down 2% from the 2.479 million recorded in 2025.

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The championship race at Homestead-Miami also finished below last year’s audience. NBC drew 2.471 million viewers and a 1.37 rating, compared with 2.774 million viewers and a 1.45 rating for the 2025 finale at Phoenix.

The numbers are particularly interesting because 2026 brought back the The Chase, replacing the elimination-style playoff format NASCAR had used since 2014. The change was intended to reward consistency and give the championship a different feel.

But has it made a difference to television audiences? The season’s numbers offer some interesting answers.

Daytona 500 Remains NASCAR’s Biggest Attraction

Feb 12, 2026; Daytona Beach, Florida, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Bubba Wallace (23) leads Austin Dillon (3), Joey Logano (22), Ryan Blaney (12), Chris Buescher (17), William Byron (24), Brad Keselowski (6) during Duel 1 for the Daytona 500 at Daytona at Daytona International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Daytona 500 was once again the most-watched NASCAR race of the season, attracting 7.489 million viewers on FOX. That was a noticeable improvement on the 6.761 million who watched last year’s race.

The opening months also had some strong numbers. Atlanta attracted 4.487 million viewers, and Circuit of The Americas recorded 3.933 million. Talladega’s spring race came close to four million, with 3.967 million viewers.

These figures show that NASCAR can still attract a large audience, particularly for its biggest events and traditional venues.

The problem is maintaining that interest throughout the calendar. Once the schedule moved away from its biggest FOX broadcasts, audiences generally became smaller, with several races struggling to reach 1.5 million viewers.

That gap between the big events and regular-season races is still one of NASCAR’s biggest television challenges.

Cable Television Continues to Struggle

The difference between network television, cable and streaming is another important part of the 2026 ratings picture.

According to The Daily Downforce’s season tracker, races on FS1, TNT and USA Network averaged 1.936 million viewers, down 4.6% from 2.029 million in 2025.

FOX and NBC broadcasts averaged 3.570 million viewers, a 4.3% decline from last year’s 3.730 million. Prime Video performed slightly better, averaging 2.063 million compared with 2.104 million in 2025.

Several cable races struggled to attract even 1.5 million viewers. New Hampshire drew 1.29 million, Phoenix recorded 1.294 million, Richmond attracted 1.47 million and Charlotte finished at 1.48 million.

This is a concern for NASCAR because a significant portion of the Cup Series calendar is shown on cable. The sport needs people to tune in during less prominent weekends.

The New Chase Format Has Yet to Deliver a Ratings Boost

The return of The Chase was the biggest change to the 2026 Cup Series season.

After years of criticism surrounding the elimination system, NASCAR brought back a modified version of the format originally introduced in 2004. The new system kept 16 drivers in contention but removed elimination rounds and the winner-take-all championship finale.

Instead, the top 16 drivers from the regular season entered a 10-race Chase, with the champion decided by the overall points standings. Race wins also became more valuable, increasing from 40 to 55 points.

The idea was to reward consistency, make every race count and avoid having the championship decided by one particularly good or bad afternoon.

However, the first season has not produced the television improvement NASCAR might have hoped for.

According to The Daily Downforce’s tracker, the 10 Chase races averaged 1.789 million viewers in 2026, compared with 1.866 million across the corresponding 10-race playoff stretch in 2025. That’s a decline of approximately 4.1%.

There were some positive results. Talladega attracted 2.581 million viewers, slightly above last year’s 2.556 million. Darlington and Gateway also improved year over year.

But other races went in the opposite direction. Martinsville dropped to 1.987 million viewers from 2.350 million in 2025, while Charlotte’s fall race attracted 1.480 million. Las Vegas also struggled, recording 1.548 million viewers.

The early evidence does not show the ratings boost NASCAR would have wanted from such a significant change.

The championship race offered another indication of the challenges facing NASCAR.

NBC attracted 2.471 million viewers for the Homestead-Miami finale, down from the 2.774 million who watched the 2025 championship race at Phoenix. The rating also fell from 1.45 to 1.37.

What the 2026 Ratings Tell Us About NASCAR

A 2% decline is not a television disaster, particularly when NASCAR continues to attract millions of viewers for its biggest races. But the figures reveal that the sport still has some work to do.

The first year of the new Chase has not gone as planned. The numbers show a decline in viewership, particularly during the postseason, which is not the result the sport would have wanted from such a major change. So from a business perspective, the return of The Chase has yet to deliver.

But the bigger issue is that many fans are still not happy with the championship system. While NASCAR wanted to reward consistency and put more emphasis on the full 10-race stretch, that isn’t necessarily what everyone was asking for. A significant part of the criticism surrounding the previous format was about rewarding drivers for an entire season, not simply replacing one playoff system with another.

The 2026 figures don’t necessarily prove that the new Chase caused viewers to turn away, but they certainly don’t suggest it has brought them back either. NASCAR may have changed the way it crowns a champion, but it still has a lot of convincing to do.